Mardy Murie - The Grandmother of Conservation

Please join me as Margaret "Mardy" Murie, Grandmother of Conservation!

Tuesday January 10th, 2023 

7:00 PM CENTRAL 

FREE - ZOOM - registration required 

Chautauqua allows participants to meet a historical figure, portrayed by a scholar, hear their story and then ask questions of both the historical figure and of the scholar. 

Mardy Murie (1902-2003) was instrumental in the passage of the Wilderness Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILC) in 1980. She continued to speak and write on behalf of conservation through the 1980s and 90s.

Mardy Murie grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, the first boomtown of the Alaska gold rush. Always up for an adventure, Olaus Murie, field biologist for the Biological Survey (now Fish and Wildlife), caught her attention with his knowledge and passion for wild places and the animals that inhabit them. The two married and began a lifetime of adventure, exploration, research, and activism.

Come along as Mardy shares stories of their adventures through the Alaskan wilderness studying caribou and waterfowl. Watch her assert her place beside Olaus as his field assistant where she gains vast skills and knowledge. Find awe in how she continues exploring as a mother with children in tow.

Then notice the transition from field studies to activism, taking more adventures into interior Alaska to make recommendations about which areas should be preserved into Wilderness. When Olaus dies, mourn with Mardy and marvel at her strength as she chooses to continue their activism, moving from secretary to testifier at congressional hearings. 

Registration provides access to all three "Chautauqua and Chat: Encountering the Natural World" events. You can also register for free for all 11 Chautauqua and Chat events on the Humanities North Dakota website. 

With many thanks to The Chautauqua Training Institute with Humanities North Dakota!